Helping youth
One of Scotland’s leading charities is seeking volunteers inwishaw to act as mentors for young people in care.
Ypeople offers support to vulnerable groups and individuals through various services across Scotland.
One of the most successful is intandem, a mentoring programme in North Lanarkshire which helps young people looked after at home.
The service provides mentors for young people aged between 8-14 years who are looked after by their local authority but living at home. Due to its continued success since it launched in 2016,Ypeople is now on the hunt for more people in the area to become mentors.
George Bryce, intandem co-ordinator forypeople, said:“there’s a lot of research which shows how crucial it is for all young people to have at least one long-term relationship with a positive adult role-model.
“Having that person on hand to offer support can really help a young person successfully make the transition through childhood and adolescence and on into adulthood.
“However, the disruption which children and young people who are looked after at home, and within the wider care system, often face can make this extremely difficult to achieve.
“At intandem, we match young people with trained volunteers to build positive, supportive and secure relationships.
“The youngsters are encouraged and supported to bond with their mentors in a fun and safe environment, with the longer term aim being to create relationships lasting 18 months or more.
“That gives us the best chance of making a positive change in young people’s lives.”
Ypeople is currently searching for around 10 volunteers to join the programme as mentors. Full training is provided and volunteers only have to commit two to four hours per week. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact intandem@ypeople.org.uk or call 0141 565 120.
Intandem is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered nationally by Inspiring Scotland in partnership with 13 charities who deliver locally.ypeople is responsible for running the service in North Lanarkshire and Glasgow and, in November, achieved the Scottish Mentoring Network’s Quality Award.
By April 2018, 357 volunteers had been trained across Scotland, with over 100 active matches under way.